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dotreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
When I was describing this book to my husband, my best explanation was that it reminded me of a Musical movie. There are parts with action but there are even more parts where the main characters are sitting around in deep conversation, theorizing about God and the meaning of life. In the description of the book, Ben Hur is described as a man after revenge but I thought he handled the hard things in his life with grace and patience. One aspect I loved about this story was since it was written in 1880 there was a slow pace that people of my day just can't even fathom. There is time to walk through parks, ride a camel for days, be in love with someone you barely know and rarely see face to face. Oh, and the description of Jesus was just awful. The author describes him as what we see in very old paintings. A Jesus with feminine features and woeful eyes. But, his actions spoke his authority as God and he changed the whole course of Ben Hur's life. This I can appreciate.
halynah's review against another edition
5.0
POSSIBLE SPOILERS
I haven't read the books of Andrea Randall before (though I intend to change that), but Charles Sheehan-Miles is one of my favourite authors and just plain genius, so I expected the book to be amazing. It was. Not only amazing, but also emotionally complex, achingly beautiful and, thanks God, with happy end (I can't make myself read The Last Hour, because after having accidentally read the last chapter, I cried so hard, that now I literally am afraid of that book, though I'm sure it's brilliant).
The setting of the book was great - a pure bliss for those, who play any musical instrument or just love classical music. I liked Savannah, hate-loved Gregory, and absolutely abhorred Karin (who doesn't deserve pity, just disdain - that woman just couldn't take no for an answer). I didn't like James - he poked his nose into their romance too much and set Gregory up with that horrible woman, Karin.
I loved the way the main heroes expressed their love - it was truly beautiful. I definitely highly recommend this book and it would be great, if the authors decided to write a sequel, featuring some secondary character from this book,- Marcia, for example, because such a great musical setting begs to be continued!
I haven't read the books of Andrea Randall before (though I intend to change that), but Charles Sheehan-Miles is one of my favourite authors and just plain genius, so I expected the book to be amazing. It was. Not only amazing, but also emotionally complex, achingly beautiful and, thanks God, with happy end (I can't make myself read The Last Hour, because after having accidentally read the last chapter, I cried so hard, that now I literally am afraid of that book, though I'm sure it's brilliant).
The setting of the book was great - a pure bliss for those, who play any musical instrument or just love classical music. I liked Savannah, hate-loved Gregory, and absolutely abhorred Karin (who doesn't deserve pity, just disdain - that woman just couldn't take no for an answer). I didn't like James - he poked his nose into their romance too much and set Gregory up with that horrible woman, Karin.
I loved the way the main heroes expressed their love - it was truly beautiful. I definitely highly recommend this book and it would be great, if the authors decided to write a sequel, featuring some secondary character from this book,- Marcia, for example, because such a great musical setting begs to be continued!
novelideea's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
cynthialwho's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
crazysecondname's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
ja keine ahnung
der anfang war voll gut und dann hab ich irgendwo den faden verloren
glaube das größte problem war dass die kapitel nie auf ner neuen seite angefangen haben und ich dadurch kein endgefühl hatte so.
und dann wars auf einmal weiß nich wie viele jahre späte aber es wurde nie direkt erwähnt und es war verwirrend...
also es war nich schlecht aber meins wars nich
der anfang war voll gut und dann hab ich irgendwo den faden verloren
glaube das größte problem war dass die kapitel nie auf ner neuen seite angefangen haben und ich dadurch kein endgefühl hatte so.
und dann wars auf einmal weiß nich wie viele jahre späte aber es wurde nie direkt erwähnt und es war verwirrend...
also es war nich schlecht aber meins wars nich
chilotte's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
witchqueen5's review against another edition
3.0
While the plot in itself was interesting, the way the book is written can really put you to sleep. The amount of useless descriptions was immense! Also, I feel that the voice of the narrator was pretty condescending when addressing the reader, as if it could not follow the plot by itself, only with guidance from the narrator.
emmajonesgill's review against another edition
5.0
This is a surprising 5⭐ because I had no interest in really reading (or in this case listening to) the book, nor any drive to watch the film adaptation.
The story isn't mind-blowing in what would be considered mind-blowing by today's standards, but it's an easy to follow story that flows nicely together. I felt for the characters, and (as someone non-religious) didn't find the religious aspects too forced.
It was a quick listen, the audiobook I chose was less than 3 hours so I'd definitely recommend reading this. I think I'll have to watch the film adaptation too, to see if I enjoy it from a film students perspective.
The story isn't mind-blowing in what would be considered mind-blowing by today's standards, but it's an easy to follow story that flows nicely together. I felt for the characters, and (as someone non-religious) didn't find the religious aspects too forced.
It was a quick listen, the audiobook I chose was less than 3 hours so I'd definitely recommend reading this. I think I'll have to watch the film adaptation too, to see if I enjoy it from a film students perspective.
erincataldi's review against another edition
2.0
FINALLY! This is one of those books that I thought would never end. It would go from super exciting to boring as all get out and it took me until the chariot race to even really get into it. It's cool that it was written by a Hoosier and was the first piece of fiction to be blessed by the pope, BUT... that's about it. It was written very prettily, I suppose but it won't be one I ever re-read or recommend to people. Unless they love historical, religious reads. Kinda wish I had just watched the movie.
what_ella_reads's review against another edition
5.0
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Wow! I now understand why "Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ," is considered one of the best classics of all time!
This book is so well written. The writing style, though sometimes very wordy (which is often typical of classics), is still a pleasure to read. Mr. Wallace's descriptions of the characters, places, and events are lovely and made it easy to imagine everything going on in the story.
Another thing I loved about this book are the profound statements found in it. There were so many lines that made me really stop and think. A couple of my favorite quotes from the book are, "Riches take wings, comforts vanish, hope withers away, but love stays with us. Love is God," and "Perfection is God; simplicity is perfection. The curse of curses is that men will not let truths like these alone".
Another thing I loved where the characters. Ben-Hur is a great protagonist, though he is far from perfect. He struggles with forgiveness, pride, and doubt throughout almost all of the book. However, he also goes through A LOT of character growth from the start of his story to the end of it.
I also liked the main female character, Esther. She is a very kind and thoughtful character. I wish there had been a few more scenes between her and Ben-Hur, though! I think that would have made me like the romance between her and Ben-Hur more.
Overall, this a very good book. I would highly recommend this book to both believers and non-believers alike!
Wow! I now understand why "Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ," is considered one of the best classics of all time!
This book is so well written. The writing style, though sometimes very wordy (which is often typical of classics), is still a pleasure to read. Mr. Wallace's descriptions of the characters, places, and events are lovely and made it easy to imagine everything going on in the story.
Another thing I loved about this book are the profound statements found in it. There were so many lines that made me really stop and think. A couple of my favorite quotes from the book are, "Riches take wings, comforts vanish, hope withers away, but love stays with us. Love is God," and "Perfection is God; simplicity is perfection. The curse of curses is that men will not let truths like these alone".
Another thing I loved where the characters. Ben-Hur is a great protagonist, though he is far from perfect. He struggles with forgiveness, pride, and doubt throughout almost all of the book. However, he also goes through A LOT of character growth from the start of his story to the end of it.
I also liked the main female character, Esther. She is a very kind and thoughtful character. I wish there had been a few more scenes between her and Ben-Hur, though! I think that would have made me like the romance between her and Ben-Hur more.
Overall, this a very good book. I would highly recommend this book to both believers and non-believers alike!